


Tabby's Star [Interstellar]

by StrandedOnMars



Category: Interstellar (2014)
Genre: Angst, Family Drama, Feels, Gen, Ghosts, Sadness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-07-16 03:53:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 13,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16077824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrandedOnMars/pseuds/StrandedOnMars
Summary: "Tabby!" Cooper shouted seconds after, watching her Ranger go spiraling downwards over the Straights in front of him. It was only a matter of time before it crashed into the water. He didn't see her eject at the last second or hear her screams.





	1. Prologue

"Tabby, what are you doing?" Cooper asked his younger sister with some hesitation in his voice. He flew beneath her in his own model of the Ranger. He noticed that she was trying to go even higher than what was the recommended height limit for the new Rangers. It caused him to shake his head when he saw that. She never tries to stay normal, as she always has to do something that no one else would do. That habit will soon kill her or someone else if she doesn't stop.

They were both briefed on how high the Rangers can go before they took off. But with Tabitha, she would try and go even higher. She was like that, never following the rules until something bad happened to her or someone else. Cooper sometimes wonders how he ended up with her as a younger sister. They were both the first to try out the new Rangers since they were both former Air Force pilots. NASA was planning on using the Rangers for other things which they were not told about. 

Cooper used the nickname that he came up for her when they were kids. But this time he stressed her nickname with worry. He didn't want her to get hurt, or even worse, killed. She may be able to take care of herself as she is twenty eight. But sometimes she puts herself into danger that she can't even see until it's too late. He was so used to keeping her safe when they were growing up but now that she's an adult. She can get herself killed through the things that she does.

Cooper blinked a couple of times as he watched her Ranger go soaring above his. Anxiety bubbled inside of him as he watched her. He knew that something was going to happen, but he didn't know when or how. Cooper sometimes wished that Tabitha could be less daring and follow the rules. But she doesn't and never will.

"I got this one in the bag, Coop," Tabitha's voice went over the radio, causing his anxiety to grow even worse. He hated it when she sounded so calm and naive whenever she's doing something dangerous. It was only a matter of time before she realizes that she needs to stop doing these things. She could get herself killed, or someone else killed. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

"This isn't the Air Force, Tabby," Cooper answered back, being serious about what he told her. They were both in the Air Force before this for a couple of years, so they both knew how planes worked and how to pilot them. 

Cooper stayed near Tabitha. He flew beneath her but it was starting to get harder and harder as she kept on going higher and higher. The only thing that Cooper could do now was try and persuade her into going back down, but she wouldn't do that. She was too stubborn. She kept going higher and higher, but eventually, she was going to have to come down. "This is different and way more dangerous."

"It's not that different, Coop," Tabitha replied. Her voice still sounding calm and naive. That the tone of voice that she normally has whenever she's doing something dangerous. It was only a matter of time before she realizes that she messed up. "The Rangers are like planes but with more technology in them."

Cooper shook his head in disappointment on how she was reacting to this situation. But there wasn't much that he could do as they were both in different Rangers. It didn't take long for someone else's voice to come on the radio.

"She's going to get herself killed," A different voice said on the radio.  

Cooper scoffed at what the person said.

"I haven't realized," Cooper said back with some sarcasm. But he didn't get a chance to continue on what he was saying as Tabitha soon came back on the radio. She sounded terrified and confused.

"C-Cooper, s-some-ething's wr-rong," Tabitha said to him, her voice cracking over the radio. It was hard for Cooper to understand what she was saying, but he managed to get a few words here and there. He knew that she should've listened to him, but she never does. "So-ometh-hing's turn-ning off m-my computers a-and shu-utting ever-rything do-own."

Tabitha managed to get one final sentence to him before her entire system went down, "C-Co-oper, I'm s-scar-red...."

"Tabby!" Cooper shouted seconds after, watching her Ranger go spiraling downwards over the Straights in front of him. It was only a matter of time before it crashed into the water. He didn't see her eject at the last second or hear her screams.


	2. Chapter One

Tabitha was now thirty-five-years-old and never spoke of the Crash with her older brother. As she could tell that he was still terrified of it, even though it was so long ago. In reality, it was only eight years ago but to her older brother, it was as if it just happened yesterday. Murphy, her young niece that she loved very much, often tells her whenever she visits the farm that her older brother still has nightmares from it. He almost lost her, which made her sympathize with the fact that he still has nightmares from it.

Tabitha had managed to eject at the last second before her Ranger crashed into the cold water between the Straights. But her older brother never saw her eject which caused him to believe that she went down with the Ranger into the cold water. He was still up in the sky while her Ranger went down, but landed once he saw her in the water. The last thing that she managed to say to him before her system shut down entirely was, "Cooper, I'm scared." That sentence alone and the sight of her Ranger spiraling down over the Straights caused his nightmare to happen.

Tabitha had degrees in engineering, quantum physics, physics, and biology. She could've gotten more degrees in different courses when she was in college but she thought it was better if she stayed with the ones that she came for. She was the second person in her family to go to college, with her older brother being the first. They both also joined the Air Force right after college. Her older brother joining two years before her.

Tabitha was the top of her class in secondary school, being the first in her class. She excelled at primary school and at secondary school. It gave her a chance to skip the test that all people who were at secondary school are required to take to see if they could go onto college. She was too smart, so her teachers that she had during that time made her be one of the few kids to go to college.

Tabitha took up one of the degrees that her older brother specialized in while she was in college, engineering. She knew that would've made him proud, so that was one of the reasons why she took the class. She didn't tell him about it though. She found no need too. Her older brother would've found out eventually, or she would have told him by then.

Tabitha sighed as she drove down the familiar road that leads towards the family farm. Corn surrounded both sides of the farm, the main food that her older brother and her father-in-law grow on the farm. She didn't have the touch of farming like her older brother has. As she is more into exploring the unknown and asking questions about things. Her only niece, Murphy, is the same. She made sure that Murphy knew that she could ask her questions about things. As she certainly will have the answer to it.

Machines were somewhere in the large field, gathering the corn. Tabitha should know, she was the one who helped her older brother fix them when she was younger. She was in the old blue pickup truck that she bought a couple of months ago after her original truck kicked the bucket. It was her main way to get around now.

Tabitha had both of the windows down in her truck, letting the cold wind blow through the old dusty truck. Her dark brown jacket ruffled in the wind as she drove

Tabitha soon parked her truck outside of the house, knowing that her older brother and Donald would be up by this time. She knew their schedules by heart. It was early in the morning, so Murphy and Tom would be still asleep. Probably, she wasn't sure. She hasn't seen them for a very long time. They would have school in the morning.

Tabitha turned the truck off, knowing that Cooper or Donald heard the loud rumble of the engine by now. She sat in the driver's seat for a couple of more minutes, not sure to what she was going to be introduced too once she knocks on the front door. Tabitha shook her head as she opened the driver's side door, shutting it behind her. There was no use to think about it if she wasn't going to do it.

Tabitha walked towards the front door of the house, taking a deep breath as she hoped for the best. She slowly walked up the creaky old steps, going towards the front door. Tabitha let her right hand knock on the old door, then stopping after a couple of knocks. She could already hear someone walking towards the door, but she didn't know who it was. The door soon opened, revealing Cooper, her older brother.

"Tabby?" Cooper asked as if he's confused that it was actually her. She didn't tell him that she was coming before, so this response was normal for her to hear. Tabitha knew that he probably would've said something like this. He used the nickname that he came up for her while she was young. She hated it but she didn't say anything about it. He did the same for Murphy. He called her Murph.

"Hey, Coop," Tabitha said with a smile, soon being taken into an unexpected hard hug by her older brother. She patted him gently on his back, as she wasn't sure what else to do. Tabitha hasn't seen him for a long time. She then questioned him on her own, as she wanted to see if what she thought was true. "Are they awake?"

"Yeah, they should be," Cooper answered her, letting go of her from the hug that he took her in. He didn't need to know that she was referring to Murphy and Tom and if their awake. He looked at her for a couple of seconds before he let her go inside, shutting the door behind her.

Tabitha looked around as she walked towards the kitchen, knowing that Donald would be in there. She could feel Cooper's gaze as she walked, knowing that he was probably thinking about why she was here. Tabitha didn't tell him that she was going to stop by, or why she was stopping by. She just wanted to see how Murphy and they were doing, as she didn't see them for a long time. Seven years to be exact

"Hello Donald," Tabitha said to her father-in-law with a warm smile as she hugged him, thankful now that she was as tall as him and Cooper now. She heard him say hello back.

"Hey Aunt Tabitha," Tom, her nephew, said to her as he gave her an awkward hug. They weren't exactly close as Tabitha and Murphy were, but they made it work.

"Hey Tom," Tabitha said back to him, patting him on the back slightly before she let go of the hug. She now wondered where Murphy was. If Tom and the others were awake, surely she was awake too. She soon got her answer, the way that she was expecting to get. Tabitha didn't even get a chance to turn around to sit down at the table before she was almost tackled into a hug by her niece, causing her to laugh and turn to grab her.

"Tabby!" Tabitha heard Murphy shout behind her, soon burying herself in her back.

"Hi Murph," Tabitha said with a laugh as she hugged her niece, pulling her close to her. She smiled softly at Murphy, letting go of her as she then ruffled her wet hair. Tabitha normally ruffled her hair when she was gone for a certain amount of time. It was a habit that she had soon gotten into. "How's my favorite girl doing?"

"She's complaining about a ghost that's in her room," Tom said, answering the question that Tabitha asked Murphy from where he was now sitting at the kitchen table.

"A ghost?" Tabitha asked, looking down at Murphy to see what Tom was saying was true.

Murphy nodded.

"Well, I believe you, Murph," Tabitha said to her, not needing to explain anything else.

"Seriously?" Tom said with a not amused look on his face.

"Why shouldn't I? I mean, she's only ten years old. I was the same when I was her age." Tabitha said to Tom, looking at him from where she was standing. It was true. She normally complained about a ghost in her room when she was also ten years old, confusing Cooper as he was the only one who would listen to her.

"I love you Tabby," Murphy said to her with a smile on her face, finally happy that someone believed her about the ghost that was in her room.

"I love you too Murph. Now go eat your breakfast. I will be here for a while," Tabitha said to her as she watched Murphy's face light up when she mentioned that she was going to be there for a while. She was planning on staying for a couple of weeks, as she didn't have anything better to do. Tabitha wanted to spend some time with her family, but who knew that their lives would change for the worse when Cooper got his hands on an old Indian drone.


	3. Chapter Two

Tabitha was sitting at the kitchen table beside Murphy, looking at the Lander that she said the ghost that was in her room broke by pushing it off of one of the shelves. She had her wits about the ghost that was in Murphy's room, as she had a feeling that it was the same ghost that haunted her when she was Murphy's age. Tabitha slept the same room when she was growing up, but Murphy got it when she was a baby after Tabitha moved out. 

Cooper had a look at the Lander that used to belong to him before Tabitha, but he just chided Murphy and telling her that there were no such things as ghosts. Tabitha asked if she could have a look at it, as she might be able to fix it. There was a slim chance that she could be able to fix it, but she could try. She told Murphy before she looked at it that she couldn't promise anything, but Murphy said that she didn't mind.

"Have a good day at school." Cooper said to both Murphy and Tom, about to walk out of the front door but Donald  stopped him. Tabitha didn't know what he was going to do, so she couldn't say anything to him. Cooper had completely forgotten about Parent-teacher conferences at Murphy and Tom's schools.

"Hold up. Parent-teacher conferences. Parent. Not grandparent." Donald said to Cooper from where he was sitting at the kitchen table, causing Cooper to stop at the front door.

"Can you come along?" Murphy asked Tabitha, looking at her from where she was sitting. She had a look of hope on her face. It was a look that Tabitha couldn't resist. She just had to say yes.

"Sure!" Tabitha said to her with a smile, putting down the broken Lander on the table. She was going to have to grab the toolkit that she had in the back of her truck later, just to see if she had the parts to fix the Lander. Tabitha was pretty sure that she had the parts, but she was going to have to double-check.

Tabitha was now sitting in her truck, waiting for Cooper to get in his own so that they could all go together. Her windows were open, letting the cool but also hot air go through the dusty old truck. Cooper told her that she could get in his truck but she said that it was fine. She didn't want to take up any space, and besides, she would feel cramped in the back of his truck. Tabitha was about 5'9, and she also had long legs. That didn't help her at all.

"Slow down, turbo!" Cooper shouted at Tom as he pressed down on the steering wheel, causing the truck to honk. Murphy was sitting in the middle of the truck. She wanted to go in Tabitha's truck but Cooper said that she can stay with him.

Tabitha chuckled quietly, knowing in the back of her mind that Tom could be so impatient if he wanted to. It was a trait that he got from Cooper, even if Cooper didn't want to admit it. She then noticed smoke coming from over the boundary line, leading into the neighboring farm. It was Nelson's farm.

"That's not a dust storm." Tabitha heard Cooper say to Donald from where they were both standing beside Cooper's truck.

"Nelson's torching his whole crop." Donald said to him.

"Blight?" Cooper  asked.

Tabitha grew up with everyone talking about Blight, but now since she was an adult people stopped talking about it for some reason. It was as if everyone accepted the fact that Blight was going to be around for a long time, killing off people's crops. The only crop that Blight hasn't gotten to yet was corn, but it was only a certain amount of time before corn's gone too.

"They're saying it's the last harvest for okra. Ever." Donald answered.

"He should've planted corn like the rest of us."  Cooper said to him as he opened the driver's side door of his truck, getting in.

"Now, be nice to that Miss Hanley. She's single." Donald said to him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cooper asked, slightly confused.

"Repopulating the earth. Start pulling your weight, young man." Donald replied.

"Why don't you start minding your own business, old man?" Cooper said to him, then giving Tabitha the heads up, which meant that she could now follow them. The signal was a thumbs up.

Tabitha nodded as she then started up her truck, waiting for Cooper to get his truck started. She wanted him to get to get in front. It didn't take long for Cooper to start-up his truck and go down the long driveway. She gave Donald a small wave as she drove by him, soon following Cooper down the long driveway. Tabitha got a wave back from their Donald, but she didn't see it as she kept her eyes on the road in front of her. She didn't want to accidentally hit the back of Cooper's truck.

Tabitha followed Cooper, keeping an eye on what he was doing as she knew that he would probably let Murphy switch the gears. When he let Murphy do that, she was going to have to do the same. So that's why she was keeping a close eye on what Cooper was doing. He used to let her do that when she was younger, with their mother getting angry at them when she found out but she couldn't stay angry at them for long. Their mother was always the calmer one, with her temper being gone as soon as it came.

It didn't take long for Tabitha to switch gears, but then Cooper's truck hit something that was on the dirt road causing one of the back tires to pop. She knew what a flat tire looked like from past experiences, and that's what Cooper's truck had now. She then switched gears a second time, so that she could match their pace. Tabitha didn't want to accidentally go by them when they were fixing the flat tire.

"Get the patch kit!" Tabitha heard Cooper say when she stopped her own truck beside his, getting out. She shut the door behind her as she walked over to where Cooper was, knowing already that it was flat. When she heard Cooper tell Tom to grab the patch kit that their father carried around with him then she knew that it was a flat tire that caused them to stop.

"How am I supposed to patch it out here?" Tom asked Cooper, holding the patch kit that he grabbed from the back of the truck.

"You got to figure it out. I'm not always gonna be here to help you." Cooper said to him as he walked over to where Murphy must've been on the other side of the truck. Tabitha couldn't see her from where she was standing but she had a feeling that she was there.

"Flat?" Tabitha asked Tom, looking down at the tire that was in front of both of them.

Tom nodded, still holding on the patch kit.

"If you need help just give me a shout. I know how to fix flats." Tabitha said to him as she walked over to where Cooper and Murphy were, knowing that something was bothering Murphy from how she was being quiet. She was soon standing beside Cooper, who was looking at Murphy who was standing on the other side of him.

"What's going on, Murph?" Cooper asked Murphy.

"Why did you and Mom name me after something that's bad?" Murphy asked, looking at him.

"We didn't." Cooper said to her, not sure what she meant.

"Murphy's Law?" Murphy asked, making a point that Tabitha figured out the day that she was born.

"Murphy's Law doesn't mean that something bad will happen. What it means is whatever can happen will happen. And that sounded just fine with us." Cooper said to her, now standing in front of her. He looked at Tabitha for a split second, as if he was asking her if there was anything else that she would want to say. Tabitha didn't say anything as she didn't get a chance to say anything, as something then flew over them.

It didn't take long for something to fly over them. Tabitha managed to get a quick glimpse of it and knew that it was an old drone. She knew what drones looked like from college.

"Whoa!" Cooper said, then knowing what it was before Tabitha even had to mention it.

"Get in." Cooper said to Murphy and Tom, then repeating himself a second time as Tom didn't get in the truck. "Get in, let's go."

"What about the flat tire?" Tabitha heard Tom say, but she didn't say anything back to him as she ran over to where her own truck was, getting in. She was as excited as Cooper was.

Tabitha started up her truck again, hoping that Cooper wouldn't leave her behind but she knew that he would. It wasn't every day when you would see an old drone, so Cooper would probably try and bring it down. Tabitha knew that it was an Old Indian Air force drone. She saw models of it in old textbooks when she was back in college. She knew how he would do it as he told her a couple of times when she was younger, but she hoped that she would be able to see him do it. It didn't take long for her truck to roar to life, then following after Cooper who left a couple of seconds ago. She knew where to go as he left a large trail in the cornfields. Tabitha made a second trail that was beside Cooper's so that she didn't have to worry about running into his truck.

Tabitha soon matched the pace that Cooper's truck was going, so that she didn't have to worry about losing him. She looked over a couple of times to see that Tom was driving, with Cooper  on the other side on his computer that he always carried around with him. Tabitha knew that this was probably a big deal to him, as nothing like this would cause him to grab and use his computer. It didn't take long for both trucks to hit razor wire fence and run over it.

Tabitha slammed on the breaks when she saw the edge of a cliff ahead, causing her truck to screech to a halt. Her warning to stop didn't stop Tom, as he kept going until he stopped only a couple of feet away from the cliff's edge. The old drone disappeared over the cliff's edge, so she didn't know what happened to it. Tabitha knew that there was a reservoir on the bottom of the cliff, so she hoped that the old drone didn't take a dive into the water. It would've been useless to Cooper if that happened. She then quickly turned off her truck, getting out and running over to where his truck stopped.

Tabitha stopped beside where Cooper and Murphy were crouching, causing her to look down at his computer. She knew that he got it from the numbers that were running on the computer. Tabitha knew how to read code from being in college, so it didn't take her long to figure out that he got the drone.

"We lost it," Murphy said to Cooper, sounding slightly disappointed.

"No, we didn't." Cooper said to her as he let his finger slide over the keypad on his computer, and the drone that they were chasing after soon came back up. "Want to give it a whirl?"

Murphy nodded, with a look of happiness on her face.

"This way. Go." Cooper  said to her as he helped her steer the drone around, letting her then do it herself. The drone flew above the reservoir, causing Tabitha to smile as she never saw a drone this old before. "Let's lay her down right there at the edge of the reservoir."

The drone, with Murphy controlling it, flew down gently and slowly to the other side of the reservoir. It landed perfectly, now the only thing that they had to do was to get it.

"Nicely done." Cooper said to Murphy as they then stood up, getting ready to go down where the drone was.

It didn't take them long to get down to where the drone was.

"How long you think it's been up there?" Tabitha asked Cooper, slightly curious to see how long the drone was up. She knew that it must've been a long time, as Delhi Mission Control went down a long time ago.

"Delhi Mission Control went down, same as ours ten years ago." Cooper said to her as he walked alongside the drone.

Tabitha nodded, holding the toolbox that he asked her to grab from the back of his truck in one hand. She walked beside Murphy.

"Why did it come down so low?" Tom asked from where he was standing.

"I don't know. Maybe the sun cooked its brain or it was looking for something." Cooper answered.

"What?" Murphy asked, now curious to find out what caused the drone to come down so low.

"Give me a large flat blade." Cooper said to Tabitha, soon answering Murphy's question but with an unsure answer. "Maybe some kind of signal? I don't know."

Tabitha handed him the large flat blade after she opened the toolbox.

"What are you gonna do with it?" Murphy asked.

"I'm gonna give it something socially responsible to do like drive a combine." Cooper said to her, unscrewing a part of the old drone.

"Can't we just let it go? It wasn't hurting anybody." Murphy said to him.

"This thing needs to learn how to adapt, Murph, like the rest of us." Cooper said to her. Who knew that Cooper was going to change their lives for the worse.


	4. Chapter Three

The large old Indian Drone that they found earlier was in two separate parts in the back of Cooper's truck, drawing as much attention as it possibly can as he drove in front of Murphy and Tom's school. It's ten years old and drones were practically extinct as people didn't need them anymore. It's not every day where someone sees an old drone that missions control went down ten years ago in the back of someone else's truck. The same time when America's mission control went down.

Cooper parked his truck on the side, directly in front of the school that both Murphy and Tom went to. Tabitha was driving behind him and parked her own truck behind his, turning the engine off as she opened the driver's side door. She looked out the window of her truck.

Tabitha shut the door behind her as she walked over to where Cooper's truck was parked, noticing that Tom was already walking towards the entrance of the school. She shrugged slightly as she had a feeling that Murphy got in trouble again in school, as she used to tell her that whenever she called. It was something that Murphy mentioned a few times whenever she called. Tabitha was now used to Murphy telling her that she got in trouble at school with classmates, with Tabitha telling her to stop as she could get into more trouble. She didn't want her niece to get expelled.

"What did you do?" Tabitha heard Cooper say to Murphy who was still sitting in the truck, as he was now standing outside of it by the driver's side door. Tabitha kept her distance by standing next to the bed of the truck, looking at the drone that caught his interest. She still didn't understand what caused the drone to come down after Delhi's Mission Control went down ten years ago, the same time that their own Mission Control went down. Tabitha thought that the drone would've went down around the same time, not ten years after. She was never going to get an answer, as the drone couldn't exactly tell her.

"They'll tell you about it in there." Murphy said back to him.

"Am I gonna be mad?" Cooper asked.

"Not with me." Murphy said to him with a small sigh, "Just please try not to."

"Hey. Relax. I got this." Cooper said to her, looking at Tabitha before he walked over to the entrance of the school. He left Tabitha to watch over Murphy.

Tabitha rolled her eyes at what Cooper said, knowing in the back of her mind that he would get angry quick at Murphy's teacher. Her sister in law was the calm one in the family, but she died when Murphy was eight so she couldn't be here instead of Cooper. Murphy was the type to make a fool out of almost anyone, just like when Tabitha was her age. She was the same. Tabitha always made a fool out of her teachers when she was back in school.

"So about that ghost," Tabitha said to Murphy, now standing beside the driver's side door as she looked at her. She wondered if it was the same ghost that tried to talk to her when she was younger. It could probably be the same ghost, but she couldn't exactly ask the ghost if it was the same one. "Do you have any proof that it exists? For example, is it trying to send you messages?"

Murphy nodded slightly as if she was thinking, but she was silently glad that someone finally believed her that a ghost did indeed exist behind the bookshelf that was in her room. "Yeah, it's been knocking books off the bookcase. I think it's trying to talk to me in Morse code. I can show you the notes that I got so far when we get back home."

"The same thing also happened to me when I was your age," Tabitha said to her, hoping that it was the same ghost that was now trying to talk to Murphy who tried to talk to her when she was younger. The only thing that she could do was hope. "I wonder if it's the same ghost."

"Did you say Morse code?" Tabitha asked after a couple minutes of silence between the two, thinking that she heard her tell her that the ghost was trying to talk to her in Morse code. If the ghost was trying to talk to Murphy in Morse code then it would've been the same ghost that was trying to talk to her when she was younger. It had to be the same ghost.

"Yeah," Murphy answered.

"Wait, I've got something to show you," Tabitha said to her with a look of hope on her face, knowing that she brought the black notebook that she had when she was younger with her. It still had the notes that she managed to get when she was younger from the ghost. "I'll be right back."

Tabitha ran over to her truck, opening the passenger's side door. She then rummaged through the compartment that was in front of the passenger's seat, hoping to find what she was looking for. Tabitha let out a shout of glee when she found the black notebook that she had ever since she was ten years old. She shut the compartment, then the passenger's side door before she went back over to where Murphy was.

"See look, I've managed to figure out what the ghost was telling me," Tabitha said to Murphy as she handed the notebook over to her, showing her the page that had the message that she managed to decipher back when she was ten. It had two phrases that confused her over the years, as she still doesn't know what it means. S.T.A.Y T.A.B.B.Y. "It said, S.T.A.Y T.A.B.B.Y."

"I wonder how it knew my name," Tabitha said to her, then going silent for a couple of minutes. She thought of something that she hoped wasn't true. "I think it's your father."

"I think it's him too." Murphy back to her, looking at her as she handed the notebook back to her. "I think it's him too." She repeated.


	5. Chapter Four

Tabitha noticed Cooper walking back out of the school. She saw him motion for her to come over to where he was standing with a wave of his hand. She saw him holding a book in his other hand. She believed that it was one of his old textbooks that Murphy brought to school. Tabitha knew what his old textbooks looked like. She was surprised that he still had them, as she thought that he would've lost them by now or gotten rid of it. Tabitha knew that he most likely had all his old textbooks stored away on the bookshelf that was in Murphy's room. As almost all the books that they owned was on that bookshelf.

Tabitha looked at Murphy from where she was standing for a brief second. Unsure of what to do before she sighed and walked on over. There was an uneasy feeling in her gut. Which she knew that she should listen to the feeling as it was normally right but she didn't this time. She could feel Murphy's eyes staring at her as she walked over to where Cooper was standing. Tabitha could tell that something happened from the look that he had on his face, as it was easy for her to read him. She could easily read people, which was something that she thought was good.

"What happened?" Tabitha asked, soon standing in front of Cooper. She was slightly curious, but also slightly concerned about Murphy's well being. Tabitha knew that Cooper could be sensible and could also not be sensible at the same time. It was something that they both shared in common. She hoped that he did the right thing, for himself and for Murphy.

"I got Murphy suspended for a couple of days." Cooper answered. He soon asked Tabitha a question before she had the chance to react to the news of Murphy being suspended. "Why didn't you tell me that you never took the test?"

"I was too smart for it. My teachers that I had knew that I was going to pass it either way without even making me take the test. So they didn't let me take it and instead put in the highest number that you can get on the test." Tabitha said back after thinking of what to say, unsure of how he knew that she never took the test.

"That's exactly what the principal said from what he heard from your former teachers and the former principal." Cooper said to her, soon asking a different question that was brought up before. It was starting to bother him so he decided to ask her now about it. "What courses did you take while you were in college?"

"Quantum Physics, Biology, Engineering, and Physics." Tabitha answered quickly. As if she memorized all the courses that she took while she was in college, which was true. She was allowed to take more courses than that since she finished them all within months. But she politely declined and decided to help the professors that taught the courses that she took beforehand.

Tabitha was called, 'Dr. Cooper.', by the professors and the small handful students that went to the college that she went too but she told them not to call her that. She told them to call her Tabby or Tabitha as she didn't like the sound of being called Doctor, as it didn't roll off the tongue right. Tabitha did get doctorates in biology, quantum physics, and physics. She soon got the nickname of Tabby's Star, which caused her to smile whenever someone referred to her as that.

"They let you take all those courses in six years?" Cooper asked, slightly surprised that the college that she went to let her take all four courses as it was more common for a student to take one but not four.

"As I told you before, Coop. I'm too smart and you should know by now that I'm an overachiever." Tabitha said to him with a small smile, soon going back to the topic of Murphy and how she was now suspended. "She's not going to be too happy at the news of being suspended."

"She'll get used to it. Murphy won't even notice that she got suspended since you're here now." Cooper said to her as they both walked over to his truck. Tabitha was now holding onto the old textbook that belonged to him.

Tabitha rolled her eyes at what Cooper said to her. But she knew that Murphy would ask her about the ghost when she had the chance. She was glad that Murphy also has the chance to talk to the ghost and also has someone who believes her. Tabitha never had that chance when she was growing up, as Cooper would never believe a word that she was saying. Neither did their parents.

"How'd it go?" Murphy asked from the truck, looking at Tabitha for a brief moment before looking at Cooper.

"I got you suspended." Cooper replied, no tone of sympathy in his voice whatsoever.

"What?" Murphy asked in disbelief, but she didn't get an answer from him as the comms system that was on the dashboard went off.

"Cooper." It was Donald.

"This is Cooper. Go." Cooper replied back, grasping the walkie talkie in his hand.

"Coop, those combines you rebuilt went haywire." Donald said back.

"Just reset the controllers." Cooper answered.

"I did that. Now you should come take a look." Donald said back with a small sigh.


	6. Chapter Five

"I hear your meeting at the school didn't go so well," Donald said to Cooper, sitting down beside him out on the front porch. The sun was beginning to set, and the kids except for Tabitha was getting ready to go to bed. Tabitha was out back sitting beside Erin's grave, as she hasn't been there for a long time. No one wanted to bother her.

It didn't take long for Donald to know what happened at school earlier. As word travels fast in the small town that they all lived in. He knew that something like that would happen. As Cooper was the type to have a bad temper when someone said something that he didn't like. Tabitha was the same way, but her temper was worse than his.

"Heh. You heard?" Cooper said to him with a scoff, not looking at him as he looked out into the cornfields that were in front of them. It was quiet out except for crickets that were making noise, and with the sun setting over the horizon line. He held the beer bottle that was beside him with his hand, the bottle was half empty. "It's like we've forgotten who we are, Donald. Explorers, pioneers, not caretakers."

"When I was a kid it felt like they made something new every day. Some gadget or idea. Like every day was Christmas. But six billion people, just try to imagine that. And every last one of them trying to have it all." Donald replied back, making a point that Cooper never had the chance to witness as he was born 40 years late. "This world isn't so bad. And Tom will do just fine. You're the one who doesn't belong. Born 40 years too late, or 40 years too early. My daughter knew it, God bless her. And your kids know it. Especially Murph and Tabby."

"Well, we used to look up in the sky and wonder at our place in the stars. Now we just look down and worry about our place in the dirt." Cooper answered with a small hint of disappointment in his voice, soon taking a sip of beer out of the beer bottle that he was holding.

"Cooper, you were good at something and you never got a chance to do anything with it. I'm sorry. You didn't expect this dirt that was giving you this food to turn on you like that and destroy you." Donald said to him, looking at him for a brief second before getting up. He left Cooper outside alone, with the wind and the sound of crickets making noise as company.


	7. Chapter Six

Tabitha was sitting beside Murphy, an arm over her shoulders as they watched the baseball game that was in front of them. It was the middle of the game, but she wasn't paying much attention to it as she didn't like baseball. She didn't like baseball. As she was more of a football fan but football wasn't that popular anymore as baseball now is. The rest of her family, including Murphy, was a baseball fan. 

Tabitha was the odd one out. But she didn't mind it as she sometimes talks about football to Murphy. She found a couple of other football fans while she was in college. She played a couple of games with them whenever they had the chance after classes with a shoe. They didn't have the option of getting a real football as they were extinct, along with the game.

Tabitha didn't complain about it and came along with the others as she didn't have anything better to do. She could've stayed back at the farm and do things but Murphy wanted her to come along and that's what she did. She gave Murphy before they left for the game a light gray baseball hat that she got while she was still in college. As a gift as she didn't need it anymore. 

Tabitha wasn't the type of person to wear hats, as she didn't like the feeling of having a hat on her head. They were both sitting a row in front of Donald, Cooper, and Tom as they both wanted some time alone from them. They were the only two girls in a house with three guys. They both deserved some time alone from them.

"In my day, people were too busy fighting over food to even play baseball." Tabitha heard Donald say behind them. She did agree with him about the fact of people fighting over food, as she seen it a couple of times before. "Popcorn at a ballgame is unnatural. I want a hot dog."

Tabitha heard the sound of wind whistling behind where she was sitting with Murphy. Causing her to turn her head and see a dust storm approaching. Dust storms were common where she grew up and now lived. So it didn't surprise her much when she saw the dust storm approaching where they were. She made eye contact with Cooper for a brief second, as they both knew that they had to leave. It didn't take long for the sirens to come on.

"Let's get out of here." Cooper said to everyone as they all stood up, along with other people that were sitting around them.

Tabitha held Murphy close to her as they all walked towards Cooper's truck. She could just tell from how the wind was picking up to the size of the storm. It was common for dust storms that went through the area to be bad. As a lot of people farmed and the ground that people farmed on became weak from Blight and little rain.

Tabitha opened the back door of Cooper's truck, letting Murphy get in first before she got in. She shut the door behind her as she sat beside Murphy, with Tom sitting on the other side of her. Tabitha didn't bring her truck along with her. As Cooper decided that they all should just go in his truck instead of using two. She grabbed the mask and goggles that were beside her. As she already knew the drill from experiencing it so many times before. The dust storm was getting closer, soon engulfing the truck and the town that they were in.

"All right, gang, let's mask up." Cooper said to them, getting his mask and goggles on. After waiting for a couple of minutes, he soon made sure that they had their goggles and masks on by asking them. "Tom? Murph? Tabby? Check'?"

"Yeah," Murphy answered, holding onto Tabitha's hand with hers. She's also been through the same thing many times before. But sometimes the dust storms scare her even though she doesn't want to admit it.

"Good here," Tabitha replied, giving Murphy's hand a small squeeze with her own to let her know that she was there.

It didn't take long for Cooper to pull up in front of their house.  
Tabitha opened the door that was beside her with her hand, grabbing Murphy when she got out. No one could see a foot in front of them from how strong the winds were. She shut the door behind them as they all walked towards the house through the storm. Cooper being on the other side of Tabitha as they both covered Murphy from the storm with their bodies.

Tabitha kept Murphy beside her until they got into the house. She took her goggles and mask off as she stood beside Murphy, hearing the wind roar outside the house.

"Murph, Tom, you guys shut your windows?" Cooper asked, taking his own goggles and mask off.

Murphy didn't respond, as she soon was sprinting towards the stairs.

"Murph?" Cooper asked, not getting a response from her as Tabitha and him soon went after Murphy.

Tabitha shut the window that was in Murphy's bedroom once she got in. She turned around to see Murphy and Cooper looking down at something that was on the ground. She knew what it was from looking at it. Tabitha saw it before, but when she was younger.

"The ghost," Murphy said quietly, looking down at the sand anomaly that was on the ground.

"Grab your pillow. You're sleeping in with Tom." Cooper said to her, not taking his eyes off the sand anomaly that was on the ground.


	8. Chapter Seven

 "It's binary," Tabitha said to Cooper. She looked at his back from where she was standing beside the door frame. She left an hour ago to go check up on Murphy, so he wasn't expecting her to be back so quickly. She smirked when he jumped when he heard the sound of her voice, not expecting her to be there watching him. 

Tabitha was standing in the same spot for the last ten minutes. She watched Cooper try and figure out what the strange sand anatomy that was on the floor meant. She already knew what it meant since she figured it out years prior. But she didn't have the map that she needed at the time.

"What?" Cooper asked her, not turning around to face her as he kept his eyes down on the anomaly that was on the floor.

"It's binary," Tabitha repeated. She walked over to where he was standing in front of the strange sand anomaly that was on the floor. She blinked a couple of times before she continued on with her explanation. "I managed to figure it out years ago when I was ten. One is thin and zero is thick. It's coordinates to somewhere but I don't know where it leads too. I never found the map to where the coordinates actually work."

"How do you know this?" Cooper asked her, looking at her from where he was standing beside her. He was slightly curious, also slightly cautious to see what answer he would get from her.

"A ghost told me," Tabitha replied. She already knew that Cooper wasn't going to believe that a ghost told her. She at least wanted to try at this point to get him to believe that there was an actual ghost that was trying to talk to them.

"Oh no, please tell me that Murphy didn't get to you with all that ghost nonsense." Cooper said to her, sounding exasperated at the mention of this ghost again.

"It's true. There is a ghost." Tabitha said to him, looking at him from where she was standing. She knew that her brother could be stubborn at times but she never thought that he could be this stubborn. "It said S.T.A.Y T.A.B.B.Y to me,"

"I think it's you, Coop. I think that you're the ghost. But if you don't believe Murphy or me then it's fine. At least now Murphy has someone that believes her about the ghost. I never had that chance, or was given the chance." Tabitha said to him, patting him gently on the shoulder with her hand before she turned around and walked out of the room. She left him to watch her leave.


	9. Chapter Eight

It was late at night, the moon was shining up in the dark night sky with bright stars surrounding it. It was quiet outside, except for the sound of crickets. No one was awake in the house except for Tabitha who was quietly walking towards Tom's room. She knew that Murphy was going to be sleeping in there. She wanted to be the one to tell her about the sand anomaly that was on the ground in her bedroom before Cooper told her himself.

Tabitha was holding an extra jacket for Murphy in her hands. She knew that it was going to be chilly outside and she didn't want her to get sick. She got the extra jacket from her truck, as she always carried an extra jacket along with her. Just in case if she'll need it for something, like now. Tabitha made her way over to Tom's room, hoping that she wasn't going to wake anyone up.

Tabitha slowly opened Tom's bedroom door with her hand. She blinked a couple of times as she could see Murphy's figure sleeping on the ground. She kept the door open, as she knew that it wasn't going to take long for her to convince Murphy to come outside. Tabitha had a feeling that Murphy wanted to know what the sand anomaly that was on the ground in her bedroom meant. She was curious like her.

Tabitha slowly made her way over to where Murphy was sleeping. She was now holding the jacket in one of her hands as she was going to have to use the other one to wake Murphy up. She got onto her right knee, soon shaking Murphy gently.

"Hey Murph," Tabitha whispered quietly. Shaking Murphy gently on her shoulder with her hand. She looked at her as she waited for her to wake up, knowing that it wasn't going to take her long to get up. "Murph, wake up."

"What?" Murphy whispered back. She blinked a couple of times as she looked at Tabitha from where she was laying on the ground. She looked genuinely confused to why Tabitha was waking her up this early.

"I need to tell you something." Tabitha answered back in a whisper, not letting Murphy have a chance to talk again as she handed her the jacket. "We need to go outside. I don't want Tom to hear or wake anyone else up."

Murphy nodded slowly as she looked at her, taking the jacket that Tabitha gave her and put it on. It was a little big on her but she didn't mind. She then threw the blanket that was on her to the side, soon getting up.

Tabitha helped Murphy up, taking her hand in hers as they both slowly walked towards the bedroom door that was still open. She looked over her shoulder a couple of times, hoping that Tom wasn't going to wake up and was relieved when he didn't.

Tabitha shut the door slowly with her hand, holding Murphy's hand in the other. So far everything was going according to plan. The only thing left was for them to actually get outside without getting caught by Cooper or Donald. She blinked a couple of times as she let her eyes get used to the darkness, soon leading Murphy outside.

Tabitha slowly opened the front door with her hand, letting Murphy go first. It was slightly chilly out, with the gentle wind that they were both so used too blowing in their faces. She slowly shut the front door behind her as she walked over to where Murphy was standing.

Tabitha lead Murphy towards to where she knew lots of dust particles would be. It wasn't that far from where the front porch was. She needed the dust particles so she could show her a replica of the sand anomaly that was still in her room. She would then tell her what it actually meant.

Tabitba sat down not that far from where the front porch was, letting Murphy sit down beside her.

"Okay, so the sand anomaly that was on the ground in your bedroom floor consists of lines. Right? Those lines mean something and I managed to figure it out years ago. Way before you were even born." Tabitha said to Murphy, making a replica of the sand anomaly on the ground with dust particles. She didn't mind feeling dust as she was so used to feeling it before.

"The ghost did the same thing for you?" Murphy asked, watching her make a replica of the sand anomaly that was in her bedroom. She sounded genuinely interested and confused at the same time. Tabitha couldn't blame her. Tabitha was also confused when the ghost talked to her via Morse code when she was ten years old.

"Yes it did," Tabitha said to her, soon finished making a replica of the sand anomaly. "It's coordinates for somewhere but I don't know where. You can tell that their coordinates to somewhere since the lines are from the Binary alphabet. Sorta like Morse code but without the dots and dashes."

Murphy nodded as she listened to what Tabitha was saying.

"The thin lines are one and the thick lines are zero." Tabitha continued as she showed Murphy how Binary worked and how the sand anomaly tells them coordinates to some place. "Cooper doesn't believe me that the ghost told me years ago about this, so he's figuring this out for himself. Even though I told him that it's coordinates for some place."

"Of course he won't believe us." Murphy answered back, sounding slightly disappointed but she was happy that Tabitha believed her. "Ghosts don't exist apparently to him."


	10. Chapter Nine

"It's not Morse, Murph." Cooper said to both Murphy and Tabitha, not facing them for a couple of seconds before he turned around. He was looking at the dust anomaly that was on the ground before the two of them came in. He was talking to Murphy instead of Tabitha as she thought before they finally figured out what it was. That it was Morse code that the Ghost was trying to talk to them in. But it was actually Binary. But the thing was, Tabitha already cleared it to her the night before with an explanation and a diagram. So she already knew that it was Binary beforehand. Without Cooper having to tell her that but she didn't say anything about it. "It's binary. Thick is one, thin is zero. Coordinates."

Tabitha gently elbowed Murphy in the arm, giving her a look that she made sure that Cooper didn't see that clearly read, 'Told you so.' She then looked at Cooper, thinking up a question of her own that was haunting her for years. "Do you think we have the map that the coordinates actually work?"

"I hope so." Cooper replied, soon making his way over to the door with Tabitha and Murphy following close behind him. They were now going to go look for the map that the coordinates actually work and show them where X marks the spot. "Otherwise these coordinates are a waste."

It wasn't long until both Tabitha and Murphy were digging through Cooper's old cabinets. Both looking for maps that the coordinates actually worked on. It was Cooper who took the time to look at the maps. As Tabitha and Murphy were there to give him the maps and put them into the pile where they were useless. There was already a whole pile of maps that were useless. Tabitha's hope for the right map to grow smaller and smaller by each toss.

"Nope." Cooper said, handing Tabitha back the map that she gave him a few minutes ago. Tabitha sighed softly. She placed the map onto the piling that was growing by each toss that Murphy and she made. It was only a matter of time before they ran out of maps to look on.

It was Murphy who found the winning map.

"Mm-mm. Here we go." Cooper said after a few minutes of silence. Murphy and Tabitha surrounded him at the table that he was standing in front of. They both looked at the map while Cooper checked to see if the coordinates would show them to someplace.

"Thirty-three. That's it." Cooper said once more, soon rolling the map up and putting it under his arm. Now was the fun part, going to the place on the map.


	11. Chapter Ten

 "Hide in the passenger's seat before we leave. There's a large blanket in there and you can hide under it. You can either be on the seat with the blanket on top of you or crouched under the dash." Tabitha whispered to Murphy as they both walked towards Cooper's truck. Both of them were holding the things that he and Tabitha would need for the trip. Cooper was outside with them on the front porch, so she didn't want him to hear what they were saying.

It was the last supply trip that they would have to make before Cooper and Tabitha left the farm and to wherever the coordinates lead to. "I'm pretty sure you can hide under it since you're so small and tiny in size. It shouldn't be that hard." Tabitha said to her, looking at her.

Murphy really wanted to go with them to see where the coordinates lead to but Cooper refused to let her go. As he was afraid that there would be something at the location that would hurt Murphy. She was the youngest in the family, so he didn't want anything to happen to her. Even though Tabitha told him many times that there was nothing to worry about, but he didn't listen to her. So, Murphy asked Tabitha to figure out a way for her to hide her in the truck before they left so she could come along with them.

"Thanks, Tabby," Murphy said to her with a big smile as she placed the last thing that they would need for the trip in the back of the truck. It was only a matter of time before they would leave the farm, so it's now or never.

"Anything for my girl," Tabitha said to her with a smile, soon placing a kiss on her forehead. She hoped that her idea would work, which it should since Cooper wouldn't check under the blanket for anything. Tabitha made sure of that.

Tabitha knew that Murphy really wanted to come along just from how excited and curious she was. So she was happy to oblige when she asked her to create a plan for her to come along with them. It didn't take her long to figure it out, but the last thing that they had to do was to see if it would work.

They both walked back towards the house when they were done, hoping in the back of their minds that the plan would work.

"You ready to go, Tabby?" Cooper called out from the front door. Tabitha winked at Murphy for a brief second before calling back to Cooper. She helped Murphy get on the counter so that she could climb out the window in the kitchen. As it was the closest thing to Cooper's truck. It was time for them to see if her plan would work. She hoped it did.

"Yeah, I'm ready!" Tabitha called back, letting Murphy go out one of the windows in the kitchen and into Cooper's truck. She was there was a distraction just in case if he walked into the kitchen to see what she was doing.

Tabitha shut the window once Murphy got on the ground. She then watched Murphy make a run for it towards Cooper's truck. She hoped that Cooper was facing the inside of the house and not his truck. She walked over to where he was standing. Ready to go.

"Murph? Grandpa will be home in a while. Tell him I'll call him on the radio." Cooper called into the house, expecting Murphy to answer him but she didn't. He didn't say anything about it and shut the door behind Tabitha.

Tabitha walked over to the truck that wasn't that far from the house. She decided that it was better for her if she sat behind the driver's seat in the back. She knew that Cooper would ask her why she wasn't sitting in the front with him as she was now an adult and could sit in the front. Tabitha would have to come up with an answer quick.

Tabitha opened the door with her hand, shutting it behind her once she got in and buckled up. She knew that Murphy heard her get in the truck from where she was hiding. So it was only a matter of time before they left the farm and to wherever the coordinates lead to.

"Why are you sitting in the back?" Cooper asked her once he got in, starting up the truck.

"I don't want to sit in the front. I find it better if I sit in the back." Tabitha said back to him, looking at where Murphy was hiding from where she was sitting. Murphy was completely invisible under the blanket. So Cooper shouldn't be able to see her under it. She hoped that her plan would work. It should work. Tabitha made sure that her plan would work.

"Okay then." Cooper replied as he pulled the truck out of the driveway, soon going down the dusty road that they were all used too.

It didn't take long for Cooper to figure out that Murphy was with them. It only took a couple of minutes. It turned out that Cooper thought that he put something under the blanket and swerved the truck on the road when Murphy popped out from under it.

"Aah!" Cooper shouted as Murphy popped out from under the blanket, swerving the truck on the dusty road as he was scared shitless. He wasn't expecting Murphy to be under the blanket, or in the truck to begin with. He thought that she was back at the house. "Jesus."

"What are you doing?" Cooper interrogated her as he drove, but he didn't get an answer from Murphy but only giggles from the ten-year-old.

Murphy giggled slightly as she sat on top of the blanket, winking back at Tabitha from where she was sitting.

"Oh, you think this is funny? Huh?" Cooper asked her, slightly annoyed that she didn't listen to him to stay back at the house.

"And that was why I'm sitting in the back," Tabitha said to him with a small laugh, liking the fact that Murphy scared him.

"You were in this too?!" Cooper practically shouted, not knowing that Tabitha was also in the scheme.

"Yep," Tabitha said back with a small smile, not saying anything else.

"You wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me," Murphy said to Cooper, making a great point.

"Make yourself useful." Cooper said to her, handing her the map that was on his lap before.


	12. Chapter Eleven

 Tabitha leaned her head against the back window of the truck. Dismissing the urge of sleep by every passing minute as she didn't want to go to sleep. Her hair was in a low bun, as it was bothering her before as it kept going in her face. She knew that she was tired from all the driving around to get to these place but she just couldn't go to sleep. There was too much excitement going through her right now. She wanted to know where the coordinates lead too, as she was waiting for this moment for almost her entire life. Murphy was already asleep from where she was curled up in the passenger's seat. Cooper still awake driving the truck down a long stretch of road that was covered by trees on both sides.

Tabitha offered to drive just in case if Cooper was tired but their father said no, as he could handle it. There was nothing else that Tabitha could do but just stare out the window. As she didn't want to disturb their father who was more focused on driving. She blinked as looked out the window, watching the beautiful scenery pass by as she wasn't sure what else to do. Murphy was asleep so she couldn't talk to her as they did before night fell. Their father was out of the question.

Tabitha sat up once Cooper reached a gated entry point to somewhere. It caused her to look around from the back of the truck. He stopped the truck, causing the loud rumble that she was so used to, go quiet. She didn't see much as it was dark. But she knew that they reached a place where the person who owned it didn't want any outsiders to come in. Or out.

"Hey, Murph?" Cooper asked as he opened the driver's side door, looking down at Murphy from where he was standing. Cool air rushed in the truck. Tabitha to shiver slightly even though she was wearing one of brother's old jackets. He repeated himself as he knew that Murphy would wake up if he repeated himself a second time. "Murphy, I think this is the end of the road."

"Didn't you bring the bolt cutters?" Murphy asked with a yawn, sitting up from where she was laying. She blinked a couple of times as she looked over at Tabitha, then Cooper.

"That's my girl." Cooper said to her with a small smile. He shut the driver's side door as he went over to the back of the truck where he knew he had the bolt cutters. He left both Tabitha and Murphy alone in the truck.

Murphy scrambled to get in the driver's seat, giving Tabitha a chance to climb over the console and to get in the passenger's seat so she didn't have to sit in the back anymore. She was tall for her age but she managed to make the tight squeeze work.

Tabitha looked out the front windshield to see Cooper about to cut the lock that was on the gate but a large light shined down on their father, with him shouting something but she didn't know what he said.

Tabitha latched onto Murphy when she saw the light within seconds, shielding her from the unknown threat with her body. The unknown threat was going to have to go through her before they reached Murphy. She was going to make sure of it.

Murphy screamed.


	13. Chapter Twelve

Tabitha was currently sitting in a large conference room in the underground base of NASA. An organization that was abolished when the director of NASA refused to drop bombs from the stratosphere on the starving cities on Earth. She was sitting beside Murphy. Not saying much to the other people that were at the table as she was more concerned about where Cooper was. She knew one person at the table. It was Professor Brand. The same man that convinced Cooper and her to fly the Rangers years prior, also almost killing her in the process.

Tabitha hoped that Cooper was alright because whenever she asked about him to Professor Brand she was told nothing. The refusal to be given the facts of the whereabouts of Cooper and if he was alright caused her anxiety to go off the chart.

Tabitha turned her head to the sound of doors being opened behind where she was sitting. She jumped up from where she was sitting when she saw that it was her brother. She ran over to him within seconds, almost tackling him into a hug. Tabitha was relieved that Cooper was okay.

"Dad!" Murphy shouted as she also ran over to Cooper, jumping up into his arms.

Cooper was a bit overwhelmed with both Tabitha and Murphy hugging him at the same time but he made it work. He noticed Professor Brand almost immediately, causing him to blink a couple of times as he wasn't sure what he was seeing in front of him.

"Hello, Cooper." Professor Brand said to him from where he was sitting at the conference table.

"Professor Brand." Cooper said back with some caution in his voice as he slowly walked over to where Murphy and Tabitha were sitting before, but with Murphy still in his arms. Tabitha followed him closely behind, then sitting next to him.

"Explain to me how you found this facility." Professor Brand said to him, wanting to know how the three of them found this facility that was so hidden away from the outside world.

"Kind of an accident. We sort of stumbled upon it. We were on a salvage run-" Cooper started to say but he was both cut off by Tabitha jabbing him roughly in the side with her elbow from where she was sitting beside him and someone else talking over him. He shot Tabitha a dirty look.

"You're sitting in the best-kept secret in the world. Nobody stumbles in here. Nobody stumbles out." The man said to him, some hostility in his voice.

"Cooper, please. Cooperate with these people." Professor Brand begged.

"Look. It's kind of hard to explain." Cooper said after some thought, still slightly unsure what to say. "We learned these coordinates from an anomaly."

"What sort of anomaly?" The same man interjected, now more curious than hostile.

"I hesitate to term it supernatural, but it definitely wasn't scientific." Cooper said back.

"You're going to have to be specific, Mr. Cooper. Right now." The man said again.

"It was gravity," Murphy said to the man, causing Tabitha to look down at her from where she was sitting for a split second. She was going to say the same exact thing but Murphy beat her to it.

"Um, what sort of gravitational anomaly? Where was this?" The man now asked Murphy, looking at her but Tabitha gave her input of the situation.

"It also happened to me years ago," Tabitha said to everyone, causing them to all look at her as she was quiet before. She didn't talk much while she was in the room. "Same exact thing. Everything was the same but I didn't have the resources to follow the coordinates that would've lead me to here."


	14. Chapter Thirteen

“Hey, Murph,” Tabitha said to her. She was slightly unsure about how she was going to tell her young niece that she was going to space. She knelt down in front of her. She looked at Amelia for a brief second who was behind Murphy as to say if they could have some time alone. Amelia nodded as she knew what she wanted, so she left them alone. 

Tabitha and Amelia managed to become friends over the short time of knowing each other. It was because they both grew up with science in their blood. They both had the natural ability to ask questions about anything. They were also both going to be on the Endurance crew together as the only females. So they clicked quick.

It was a hard concept that Tabitha barely understood herself as she might not come back. She didn't want to go. She didn't want to leave Murphy behind back on a dying Earth while she went through a wormhole to find a better home for them. She was terrified about all the time that was going to go by for them. She honestly didn't want to go. But the Endurance crew needed a pilot as they never left the Simulator. That's what Professor Brand had told her.

Tabitha was the most qualified to go, even more, qualified than her brother. She was surprised when she was told that she was better than her brother. She always thought that her brother was a better pilot than her. Tabitha was approached by Professor Brand after his daughter, Amelia Brand, took Murphy for a bit to show her around the place. He asked if she would be willing to pilot the crew. She accepted the offer, but she didn't know that her brother would also be coming along as a backup. "I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" Murphy asked her, looking at her with curious eyes. 

"I'm going to space," Tabitha answered with some hesitation in her voice. She hoped that Murphy wasn't going to be angry at her for leaving. She didn't want to have the last memory of Murphy being angry at her while she finds a new home for humanity. "I'm not going to be here much longer."

"Why are you going?" Murphy asked once more. She didn't sound  angry at her but slightly upset that Tabitha was leaving her.

"I was asked by Professor Brand to pilot the Endurance crew, who are going to find a new home for us," Tabitha answered. She went slow with her explanations to the questions that Murphy might ask her. She didn't want to say something that she didn't mean.

"The same man that almost killed you?" Murphy asked. She was referring to The Crash.

"Yes, the same man." Tabitha said back. Professor Brand didn't actually almost kill her. He did convince Cooper and her to pilot the Rangers, so he sorta did almost kill her in a way. She then reached back behind her neck, unhooking one of the two necklaces that she was wearing. A small bear claw was attached to the rope of the necklace. "Remember the story that I used to tell you when you were younger?"

"The one where you were stranded in a forest after your plane malfunctioned in mid-air?" Murphy asked, remembering one of the many stories that Tabitha told her before. She noticed the necklace in her hands.

"Yes, that one," Tabitha said to her with a small smile. She handed her the necklace that was in her hands, then showing her the one that she was wearing. "I had to fight a black bear and her cub with only a knife and things that I could grab from nature."

"I took one claw from the cub and one from it's mother as a souvenir." Tabitha continued, then going on to why she was giving the smaller claw to Murphy. "I'm giving you the smaller claw as a way to remember me and all the memories that we shared together. Then I have the bigger claw to remember you,"

"Is Dad coming with you?" Murphy asked her.

"I don't think so, but if he is then I'll make sure to watch over him," Tabitha said to her as she took the necklace from Murphy. She unhooked it so that she could put it on her neck for her. "I'll make sure that nothing happens to him."

"Promise?" Murphy asked her, looking at her.

"I promise Murph," Tabitha said back, kissing her on the forehead before standing up again. "I promise."


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Tabitha stood outside of the house with Tom and Donald. It was only a matter of time before they left Earth. She wasn't ready to leave the rest of her family behind but she had to do it. She already said her goodbyes to them, same with Murphy hours before. The only person that she was waiting for now was Cooper, who didn't say his goodbyes to anyone yet. He was trying to make it up to Murphy, who was now angry at him for leaving. Tabitha couldn't blame her, as she would've been mad at her own father if he left her to go into space. She ran inside the house once they got home, not giving Cooper a chance to talk to her. Murphy already had to deal with Tabitha leaving, now her own father had to leave. 

Tabitha couldn't believe what Murphy was going through. She was surprised that she didn't hate Tabitha for leaving, but she hated Cooper for leaving. She already had to deal with Tabitha leaving, now Cooper had to leave. Murphy never got Cooper to believe her about the ghost that was behind the bookshelf, neither did Tabitha. 

Cooper told Tabitha before they left NASA that he was coming along with, as a backup pilot. He was going to be there if anything happened to her on the mission. The news of her brother coming along as a backup pilot stressed her out a bit, but she didn't say anything about it. She was both surprised and upset that he was coming, as she didn't want Murphy to grow up without her father in her life. Tabitha only nodded at the news, not saying anything as there was nothing that she could say. The only thing that she could do now was hope that they'll come back within a couple of years and not more than that.

"How'd it go?" Donald asked Cooper once he came walking out of the front door. He was the one who told Cooper to try and make it up to Murphy before Tabitha and him left for good. Tabitha agreed with Donald with Cooper trying to make it up to Murphy. She knew that he wouldn't have wanted Murphy's anger towards him to be the last memory that he had of her.

"Fine." Cooper answered, looking at him. He didn't sound like it went fine. The look in his eyes also said otherwise. He then walked over to Tom, wanting to say his goodbyes to him. "Just fine."

"I love you, Tom." Cooper said, taking Tom into a big hug.

"Travel safe, huh?" Tom said to him. He looked at him.

"Yeah." Cooper replied. "You look after our place for me, all right?"

"Uh-huh." Tom said with a nod, soon watching Cooper walk towards his truck. "Hey, can I use your truck while you're gone?"

"You mean your truck?" Cooper answered, turning to face him. He gave him a small smile that looked forced. "I'll make sure they bring it back."

"Look after my kids, Donald!" Cooper soon called out to Donald as Tabitha and him both climbed into his truck. It was the last time that anyone would seem them again.

Murphy ran out the front door when the truck was halfway down the driveway, screaming for Cooper and Tabitha to come back. She never had the chance to get to them. They didn't know. They would never know.


End file.
